Flexible toy

ABSTRACT

Skeletal animal toys capable of rolling and bouncing comprise polyhedra or other skeletal structures which can be inscribed on an imaginary spherical or ellipsoidal surface, torii and linear members which form a cylinder with circular cross-section, or elliptical and linear members which form a cylinder with elliptical cross-section. The skeletal animal toy is formed of an elastomeric material, which is preferably natural rubber, synthetic natural rubber, or a blend of natural rubber or synthetic natural rubber and one of a plurality of blending polymers including butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This is a continuation of U.S. application ______ filed Oct. 23,2001, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/847,564,filed May 2, 2001, which claimed the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/265,197, filed on Jan. 31, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to the field of animal toys and morespecifically, to hollow rollable animal toys.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Although many animal toys exist in various shapes and sizes, itis particularly desirable to produce animal toys having a skeletalstructure of unitary, one-piece construction that are able to roll andbounce. The skeletal structure of the toy allows the animal to grasp thetoy with its teeth and substantially lightens the toy, while thecapability of rolling and bouncing increases the attractiveness of thetoy to the animal. The capability of rolling dictates that the skeletalstructure form a sphere, a cylinder, or a shape that is substantiallyspherical, cylindrical or otherwise rounded in some fashion. Therequirement that the toy bounce indicates that it must be made of someelastomeric material. If however, the unitary construction is to be madespherical in nature or even in the form of a cylinder, the problempresents itself of extracting the one-piece mold on which the skeletalstructure is formed from the inside of the skeletal structure after theskeletal structure is formed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention comprises a substantially spherical orcylindrical skeletal structure of unitary construction made of naturalrubber, which is capable of rolling and bouncing. Natural rubber ispreferred for the one-piece skeletal structure since it will stretchenough when hot and newly formed to allow the internal mold to be pulledout of the skeletal structure, in contrast with synthetic elastomerswhich may not have the requisite elasticity to allow extraction of theinternal mold after forming of the unitary structure. Focusing on theextraction of the internal mold from the skeletal structure is importantsince the skeletal structure is of a unitary construction, and suchextraction must be performed without damaging the integrity of thestructure. Furthermore, natural rubber has superior tear resistance whencompared to the tear resistance of synthetic elastomers, which isimportant in an animal toy likely to be grasped with an animal's teeth.

[0007] The holes in the skeletal structure must be of sufficient size toallow the mold to be extracted from the skeletal structure after formingon that mold, so that the extraction does not breach the integrity ofthe structure, yet the holes must not be so large to interfere with therolling capability of the skeletal structure. The elastomeric quality ofthe natural rubber used for the skeletal structure will also allowcompression of the skeletal structure during shipment to enable moreskeletal structures to be packed into a smaller space than wouldotherwise be possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a plan view of the first embodiment of the invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is an elevation view for the first embodiment of theinvention.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of theinvention.

[0011]FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention, anelevation view of a second embodiment of the invention being identicalto the plan view.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of theinvention.

[0013]FIG. 6 is an elevation view of a third embodiment of theinvention.

[0014]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the third embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the third embodiment of theinvention.

[0016]FIG. 9 is an elevation view of the fourth embodiment of theinvention rotated by 90° counterclockwise.

[0017]FIG. 10 is a plan view of the fourth embodiment of the invention.

[0018]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment of theinvention.

[0019]FIG. 12 is a front elevation view of the fifth embodiment of theinvention.

[0020]FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of the fifth embodiment of theinvention.

[0021]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the fifth embodiment of theinvention.

[0022]FIG. 15 is an elevation view of a plurality of specimens of thefifth embodiment of the invention stacked and compressed together forshipping.

[0023]FIG. 16 is a front elevation view of the sixth embodiment of theinvention.

[0024]FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of the sixth embodiment of theinvention.

[0025]FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the sixth embodiment of theinvention.

[0026]FIG. 19 is an elevation view of a plurality of specimens of thesixth embodiment of the invention stacked and compressed together forshipping purposes.

[0027]FIG. 20 is an elevation view of a seventh embodiment of theinvention.

[0028]FIG. 21 is a side view of the seventh embodiment of the invention.

[0029]FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the seventh embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0030] The following detailed description is of the best mode or modesof the invention presently contemplated. Such description is notintended to be understood in a limiting sense, but to be an example ofthe invention presented solely for illustration thereof, and byreference to which in connection with the following description and theaccompanying drawings one skilled in the art may be advised of theadvantages and construction of the invention.

[0031]FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show views of the first embodiment of theinvention. The first embodiment of the invention comprises a unitaryconstruction defined by two torii of natural rubber attached to eachother at right angles. The torii are of equal diameter, which can beenclosed within a spherical surface of equal diameter. The proportion ofthe area of such a spherical surface occupied by the spaces between thetorii, however, may impede easy rolling of the animal toy.

[0032] The second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,differs from the first embodiment of the invention in that it adds yet athird torus set at right angles to both the first and second torii. Suchsecond embodiment, as preferably with all embodiments of the presentinvention as evidenced by the figures, also comprises a unitaryconstruction. All three torii are of equal diameter, and can be enclosedwithin a spherical surface of equal diameter. The total area of thespaces between adjacent torii is a smaller proportion of the surfacearea of the spherical surface within which the torii can be enclosedthan the analogous proportion for the total area of the spaces betweenthe torii of the first embodiment of the invention. Thus, the secondembodiment of the invention should roll more easily than the firstembodiment of the invention.

[0033] The third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and8. The third embodiment of the invention differs from the firstembodiment of the invention in that, instead of two intersecting toriibeing present, four intersecting torii are present, with eachintersecting torus being aligned at an angle of forty-five degrees tothe adjacent torus. Since all intersecting torii are of equal diameter,the intersecting torii can be inscribed on the surface of a sphere ofequal diameter, similarly to the first embodiment of the invention.However, since there are four intersecting torii instead of two as inthe first embodiment, the proportion of the surface area of the sphereoccupied by the spaces between the torii is smaller than that in thefirst embodiment. The smaller proportion of surface area occupied byspaces between adjacent torii allows improved rolling ability over therolling ability present with the first embodiment of the invention.

[0034]FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 show a fourth embodiment of the invention. Thefourth embodiment of the invention differs from the third embodiment ofthe invention in that an additional torus is added to the four torii atthe middle of the diameter of the four torii and in a planeperpendicular to the plane of each of the four torii. The addition ofthe fifth torus in the fourth embodiment of the invention, when comparedto the third embodiment of the invention, allows the fourth embodimentof the invention to roll with greater ease than the third embodiment ofthe invention.

[0035] FIGS. 12-15 show a fifth embodiment of the invention. Thisembodiment of the invention comprises an elastomeric material formed ina skeletal structure of unitary construction to approximate the verticesand edges of a truncated icosahedron which is representative of thechemical structure for a recently discovered form of carbon moleculeknown as Buckministerfullerine or a “buckyball” for short. It can beseen from FIGS. 12-14 that the holes in the skeletal structure compriseboth hexagons and pentagons.

[0036]FIG. 15 shows the configuration of several animal toys compressedtogether for shipping. Since the invention is made of elastomericrubber, such compression for shipping is fully possible and quitedesirable from the standpoint of economy and efficiency. The skeletalstructure of the fifth embodiment of the invention in the form ofBuckministerfullerine is merely one polyhedron that can be used as askeletal structure to form the animal toy of the invention.

[0037] Other polyhedral surfaces, the vertices of which can be inscribedon a spherical surface, would also be possible candidates to supply thevertices and edges of a skeletal structure for the inventive animal toy.Incidentally, a polyhedral surface is defined as the surface bounding athree dimensional object where such surface is bounded by polygons, eachedge of the polyhedral surface being shared by exactly two polygons.However, practically speaking, a polyhedron such as a tetrahedronbounded by four equal equilateral triangles, a hexahedron or cubebounded by six squares and an octahedron bounded by eight equilateraltriangles would not be as preferable as some of the other embodimentconfigurations. For such polyhedra, their ability to roll would becompromised by their relatively nonspherical shape characterized by thedistance between their respective faces and the spherical surface onwhich the vertices of those faces can be inscribed. The dodecahedron,having twelve regular pentagons as faces, and the icosahedron, havingtwenty equilateral triangles as faces, would be more acceptablepolyhedral surfaces to provide vertices and edges for the skeletalstructure of the current invention. A polyhedron with more than twentyfaces whose vertices can be inscribed on the surface of a sphere wouldbe even more preferable since, as the number of faces of the polyhedronincreases, the faces will more closely approximate the spherical surfaceon which the vertices of the polyhedron can be inscribed. Of course, ifthe vertices of the polyhedron lie on the surface of an ellipsoid givenby the equation:${\frac{x^{2}}{a^{2}} + \frac{y^{2}}{b^{2}} + \frac{z^{2}}{c^{2}}} = 1$

[0038] where “a”, “b”, and “c”, are approximately equal to 1, therolling capacity of the skeletal structure should not be significantlyadversely affected.

[0039] A collection of numerous polyhedra can be found on the internetat www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/vp.html. In addition, a websiteentitled “The Pavilion of Polyhedreality” contains a listing and linksto other websites related to polyhedra. The Pavilion of Polyhedrealitymay be found at www.georgehart.com/pavilion.html.

[0040] The sixth embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 16-19. Itdiffers from the fifth embodiment of the invention, in that, althoughthe outer surfaces of the unitary skeletal structure are faces of apolyhedral surface, instead of the holes cut in the skeletal structurebeing in the shape of the faces themselves, circular holes are cut ineach face instead.

[0041]FIG. 19 shows a series of skeletal structures of the sixthembodiment of the invention compressed for shipping, similar to FIG. 15.Of course, other shapes of infinite variety may be cut as holes in thepolyhedral faces of the skeletal structure besides circular holes asshown in FIG. 19.

[0042] FIGS. 20-22 show a seventh embodiment of the invention. Thesedrawings show a cylindrical skeletal structure for the animal toy withthe two ends of the cylinder being closed by a spoke arrangement of suchskeletal structure. Although a cylinder typically has a circularcross-section, a cylinder with an elliptical cross-section may also beconsidered provided that the eccentricity of the ellipse is kept lowenough so that the shape of the ellipse does not interfere with the easeof rolling the skeletal cylindrical structure.

[0043] With reference to each of the figures, which are onlyrepresentative of the acceptable shapes of the skeletal structure of theinvention, it is evident that the material composition and geometricconfiguration of the skeletal structure of the present invention play asignificant role in the ability of the mold to be extracted through theone-piece, unitary structure. For instance, the holes in all of theskeletal structures of the present invention must be large enough sothat the internal molds on which they are formed can be extracted fromthe one-piece skeletal structure after forming. In addition, the holesshould be large enough so that an animal can grasp the skeletalstructure easily with its teeth. The holes, however, should not be solarge that they are within faces large enough to significantly flattenthe skeletal structure and thus interfere with the ease of bouncing orrolling the skeletal structure.

[0044] For example, samples of the fifth embodiment of the invention inthe buckyball configuration have been produced. For a sample ofapproximate diameter of 4⅝ inches, a maximum dimension of the holes wasapproximately 1½ inches and a minimum dimension of the holes wasapproximately ¾ of an inch. A second sample in the buckyballconfiguration of approximately 5½ inches in diameter was also produced.For that second sample, the maximum dimension of the holes wasapproximately 1¼ inches, while the minimum dimension of the holes wasapproximately ¾ of an inch. Finally, a sample in the buckyballconfiguration of approximately 7⅛ inch diameter was produced. For thatsample, a maximum dimension of the holes of approximately 2½ inches wasmeasured, while a minimum dimension of the holes of approximately 1⅛inches was measured. In general, dimensions of the holes for thebuckyballs should be in the range from ⅜ of an inch to 4 inches and therange of diameters for the buckyballs should be 3 to 14 inches.

[0045] As noted above, in addition to the geometric configuration, thematerial composition of the skeletal structure of the present inventionplays a significant role in the manufacturing of the unitaryconstruction. The preferred material for the animal toy of the presentinvention is natural rubber since that elastomeric material, in additionto its capability of bouncing which synthetic elastomeric materials alsopossess, allows the extraction of an internal mold through one of theholes of the one-piece skeletal structure when the skeletal structurehas just been formed and is still in a heated state. Syntheticelastomeric materials may not allow an internal mold to be extractedfrom a skeletal structure formed of such synthetic elastomeric materialswhen such skeletal structure is still in a heated state, which mayrequire the formation of the skeletal structure from more than one pieceor more than one manufacturing stage. Furthermore, natural rubber hassuperior tear resistance to synthetic elastomers, which is important inan animal toy where the animal can be expected to grasp the toy with itsteeth. The material of the animal toy, in general, has the followingcomposition: 90% natural rubber, 2% calcium carbonate, 1% sulfur, 5%accelerator combination and 2% zinc oxide.

[0046] Natural rubber, known chemically as cis-polyisoprene, is from aplant source most often from the tree Hevea Brasiliensis. However,rubber is also available from chemical synthesis and is then known assynthetic natural rubber and is known chemically as polyisoprene. Withregard to the important properties of cold tear resistance to resisttearing by an animals teeth, hot tear resistance to allow extraction ofa mold, and resilience necessary for this animal toy, synthetic naturalrubber is the equivalent of natural rubber. In addition, although thecomposition of the animal toy given above has 90% natural rubber, it isnot necessary for 90% of the animal toy to be natural rubber. Naturalrubber or synthetic natural rubber can be blended with other polymersand still make possible the necessary properties of the animal toy.However, the natural rubber or synthetic rubber in such a blend wouldstill have to be more than 50% of the polymer in the compound. Thus,assuming a normal 90% natural rubber composition of the animal toy,natural rubber would have to be more than 45% of the animal toy withanother less than 45% of the animal toy being another polymer blendedwith natural rubber or synthetic natural rubber. Such blending polymersinclude butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber,ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer (EPDM) rubber or other sulfurvulcanizable elastomeric polymers that would be known to one of ordinaryskill in the art.

[0047] The calcium carbonate in the above composition, which is mostoften ground limestone, and is also known as Whiting, is used to makethe rubber product opaque instead of translucent or mottled in hue. Moreexpensive substitutes for calcium carbonate include various types ofclay or talc such as diatomaceous earth, aluminum silicate, also knownas clay, magnesium aluminum silicate, and magnesium carbonate.

[0048] Sulfur in the above composition acts to form chemical crosslinksin the natural rubber or synthetic natural rubber in a process known asvulcanization. Peroxides could also be used to vulcanize the naturalrubber or synthetic natural rubber, but then the properties of hot andcold tear resistance and resilience would not be as good as thoseobtained with a sulfur based vulcanization process.

[0049] The zinc oxide in the above composition catalyzes thevulcanization reaction. Substitutes for zinc oxide are cadmium oxide andlead oxide, but they are more costly than zinc oxide and are alsoconsidered hazardous. An additional catalyst is often used incombination with the zinc oxide, the additional catalyst being a fattyacid, stearic acid being the most often used fatty acid. Instead of thecombination of the zinc oxide and the fatty acid, a zinc salt, such aszinc stearate, may be used as a catalyst also.

[0050] The accelerator combination is a group of chemicals, whichincrease the speed of the vulcanization process of the rubber. Theprincipal types of accelerators are derivatives of Schiffs bases; andinclude the following families of compounds: guanidines, thiazoles,sulfenamides, thiocarbamates, thiurams, zimates, and morpholines. One ofordinary skill in the art would be aware of the particular subvarietieswithin each family and how to combine them.

[0051] Finally, if any one of butadiene rubber, neoprene, knownchemically as polychloroprene, or EPDM rubber is reinforced with carbonblack and used instead of synthetic natural rubber or natural rubber,the resulting animal toys will have hot and cold tear resistance andresilience approaching that available with either natural rubber orsynthetic natural rubber. However, all such animal toys will be blackdue to the presence of carbon black, as contrasted to animal toys usingnatural rubber or synthetic natural rubber or other gum compoundsincluding natural rubber or synthetic natural rubber and including nocarbon black, which can be dyed to any desired color.

[0052] The animals contemplated to use this toy the most are dogs,although cats and other pets attracted to rolling objects may also beamused by it. Furthermore, while pets are the anticipated end-users,children and adults alike are also contemplated to enjoy playing withthe toy. For small children, the material properties that make theinventive toy safe for grabbing and chewing would also apply equally foruse by such children, as small children tend bite or chew anything thatthey handle. In addition, the compressibility of the toy of theinvention upon the application of a forceful impact lends itself to beused in an aggressive setting, wherein such toy is not likely to causeharm to an individual if such individual is the unforeseen recipient ofa mischievous throw. Thus, the skeletal toy of the present invention canhave numerous applications beyond the pet field.

[0053] While the present invention has been described at some length andwith some particularity with respect to the several describedembodiments, it is not intended that it should be limited to any suchparticulars or embodiments or any particular embodiment, but it is to beconstrued with references to the appended claims so as to provide thebroadest possible interpretation of such claims in view of the prior artand, therefore, to effectively encompass the intended scope of theinvention. For instance, while only certain shapes and skeletalconfigurations are illustrated in the figures, other shapes andconfigurations will be acceptable. Also, while the illustratedconfigurations have uniform skeletal structures and uniform openingarrangements, it will be understood that non-uniform skeletal structuresand openings are possible, as long as such structures meet theobjectives of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A flexible toy having a one-piece, moldedconstruction formed of an elastomeric material, comprising: a framework,and a plurality of openings provided in said framework, wherein said toyhas sufficient material properties to allow an internal mold to beextracted through at least one opening of said plurality without tearingsaid framework during said extraction, and wherein said toy is at leastbeing capable of rolling and bouncing and wherein said framework iscapable of being compressed for purposes of compact storage andshipping.
 2. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidelastomeric material is natural rubber.
 3. A flexible toy as claimed inclaim 1, wherein said elastomeric material is synthetic natural rubber.4. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastomericmaterial is a combination of natural rubber and one of a group ofblending polymers consisting of butadiene rubber, styrene-butadienerubber, nitrile rubber, and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber. 5.A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastomeric materialis a combination of synthetic natural rubber and one of a group ofblending polymers consisting of butadiene rubber, styrene-butadienerubber, nitrile rubber, and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber. 6.A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said elastomeric materialis one of a group of polymers consisting of butadiene rubber, neopreneand ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber, said polymer beingreinforced with carbon black.
 7. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1,wherein said elastomeric material has sufficient hot tear resistance toallow an internal mold to be extracted through said at least one openingof said plurality of without tearing said framework surrounding said atleast one opening.
 8. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 2, furtherincluding calcium carbonate.
 9. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 2,further including sulfur.
 10. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 9,further including zinc oxide.
 11. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 10,further including a fatty acid.
 12. A flexible toy as claimed in claim9, further including a zinc salt.
 13. A flexible toy as claimed in claim9, further including an accelerator combination.
 14. A flexible toy asclaimed in claim 3, further including calcium carbonate.
 15. A flexibletoy as claimed in claim 3, further including sulfur.
 16. A flexible toyas claimed in claim 15, further including zinc oxide.
 17. A flexible toyas claimed in claim 16, further including a fatty acid.
 18. A flexibletoy as claimed in claim 15, further including a zinc salt.
 19. Aflexible toy as claimed in claim 15, further including an acceleratorcombination.
 20. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidframework comprises at least two torii of equal diameter.
 21. A flexibletoy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said framework comprises theapproximate vertices and edges of a truncated icosahedron.
 22. Aflexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein said framework comprises twotorii of equal diameter, said two torii being separated by a certainlateral distance, at least two linear members spanning said certainlateral distance, and at least one linear member for each of said twotorii, said at least one linear member spanning said equal diameter ofsaid each of said two torii.
 23. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1,wherein said framework comprises two ellipses separated by a certainlateral distance, at least two linear members spanning said certainlateral distance, and at least one linear member for each of said twoellipses, said at least one linear member spanning said each of said twoellipses.
 24. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least aportion of each member of said framework lies on an imaginary sphericalsurface.
 25. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least aportion of each member of said framework lies on an imaginaryellipsoidal surface.
 26. A method of making a flexible toy having aframework comprising the steps of: providing an internal mold,introducing an elastomeric material onto said internal mold, moldingsaid elastomeric material into a shape that is representative of saidframework, said shape having a plurality of openings, and extractingsaid internal mold through at least one opening of said plurality,wherein said elastomeric material has sufficient hot tear resistance toallow said internal mold to be extracted through said at least oneopening of said framework without tearing said framework.
 27. A methodof making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 26, wherein saidelastomeric material is natural rubber.
 28. A method of making aflexible toy as claimed in claim 26, wherein said elastomeric materialis synthetic natural rubber.
 29. A method of making a flexible toy asclaimed in claim 26, wherein said elastomeric material is a combinationof natural rubber and one of a group of blending polymers consisting ofbutadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, andethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber.
 30. A method of making aflexible toy as claimed in claim 26, wherein said elastomeric materialis a combination of synthetic natural rubber and one of a group ofblending polymers consisting of butadiene rubber, styrene-butadienerubber, nitrile rubber, and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber. 31.A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 26, wherein saidelastomeric material is one of a group of polymers consisting ofbutadiene rubber, neoprene and ethylene-propylene-diene-monomer rubber,said polymer being reinforced with carbon black.
 32. A method of makinga flexible toy as claimed in claim 26, wherein said elastomeric materialhas sufficient hot tear resistance to allow said internal mold to beextracted through said at least one opening of said framework withouttearing said framework.
 33. A method of making a flexible toy as claimedin claim 27, wherein said elastomeric material further includes calciumcarbonate.
 34. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 27,wherein said elastomeric material further includes sulfur.
 35. A methodof making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 34, wherein saidelastomeric material further includes zinc oxide.
 36. A method of makinga flexible toy as claimed in claim 35, wherein said elastomeric materialfurther includes a fatty acid.
 37. A method of making a flexible toy asclaimed in claim 34, wherein said elastomeric material further includesa zinc salt.
 38. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim34, wherein said elastomeric material further includes an acceleratorcombination.
 39. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim28, wherein said elastomeric material further includes calciumcarbonate.
 40. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 28,wherein said elastomeric material further includes sulfur.
 41. A methodof making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 40, wherein saidelastomeric material further includes zinc oxide.
 42. A method of makinga flexible toy as claimed in claim 41, wherein said elastomeric materialfurther includes a fatty acid.
 43. A method of making a flexible toy asclaimed in claim 40, wherein said elastomeric material further includesa zinc salt.
 44. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim40, wherein said elastomeric material further includes an acceleratorcombination.
 45. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim26, wherein said framework comprises at least two torii of equaldiameter.
 46. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 26,wherein said framework comprises the approximate vertices and edges of atruncated icosahedron.
 47. A method of making a flexible toy as claimedin claim 26, wherein said framework comprises two torii of equaldiameter, said two torii being separated by a certain lateral distance,at least two linear members spanning said certain lateral distance, andat least one linear member for each of said two torii, said at least onelinear member spanning said equal diameter of said each of said twotorii.
 48. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 26,wherein said framework comprises two ellipses separated by a certainlateral distance, at least two linear members spanning said certainlateral distance, and at least one linear member for each of said twoellipses, said at least one linear member spanning said each of said twoellipses.
 49. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 26,wherein at least a portion of each member of said framework lies on animaginary spherical surface.
 50. A method of making a flexible toy asclaimed in claim 26, wherein at least a portion of each member of saidframework lies on an imaginary ellipsoidal surface.
 51. A flexible toyas claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of openings hasthe same shape.
 52. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 51, wherein theshape of said plurality of openings varies only in size around saidframework.
 52. A flexible toy as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shapeof each of said plurality of openings varies in an alternating patternaround said framework.
 53. A method of making a flexible toy as claimedin claim 26, wherein each of said plurality of openings has the sameshape.
 54. A method of making a flexible toy as claimed in claim 53,wherein the shape of said plurality of openings varies only in sizearound said framework.
 55. A method of making a flexible toy as claimedin claim 26, wherein the shape of each of said plurality of openingsvaries in an alternating pattern around said framework.